Be more than healthy, BE WELL! (Part 3)Contributing Author: Janet Bezner

Last week, Dr. Lisa Lloyd wrote about physicalwellness. I hope you were able to prioritize your physical wellness this past week and that you noticed a difference in how you felt or performed or experienced life as a result. As you may recall, wellness refers to a positive approach you take to living in order to enhance your quality of life and achieve your full potential. Wellness requires a balance among 8 broad areas:

Our focus this week is on social wellness. Human beings are naturally social beings, meaning that at the end of the day, what’s most important to us is relationships and people. Social wellness has 2 parts: it is the sense that we have other people in our lives who care about us and support us, AND, it is the sense that there are other people in our lives that we support and care for. Importantly, social wellness is a 2-way street.

Social wellness involves communication skills, developing rich and meaningful relationships, respecting yourself and others, and creating a support system that includes family members and friends. Bringing your best self to your relationships is catchy like a virus – it can improve the quality of your relationships, enhance the other person’s experience, and deepen your connection with others.There are numerous health and wellness benefits of developing greater social wellness. Social support has been shown to improve recovery from illness and disease, provide protection from illness and disease, enhance quality of life, lengthen life, and improve happiness and productivity. Wow, who knew?

The most intriguing characteristic of wellness is that when you develop one dimension of wellness, it has a positive impact on the other dimensions. Social wellness is no exception to this principle. Consider these questions:

Do you plan time to be with family and friends?

Do you enjoy the time you spend with others?

Are your relationships with others positive and rewarding?

Do you explore diversity by interacting with people of other cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it may indicate an area where you may benefit from focusing. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Bring a friend or colleague to a group exercise class – and make a commitment to attend the class regularly together, holding each other accountable.

Make a “date” with your spouse, significant other, child, parent, friend – someone with whom you want to create a deeper connection. Give that person your undivided attention and watch the magic that unfolds…..

Intentionally create “human moments” * on a daily basis and at work – get in the same physical space as another human AND give her/him your complete emotional and intellectual attention. It can take a minute or an hour - these human moments create tangible positive impacts on our health and wellness.

Organize a group lunch or after work gathering for your colleagues – an opportunity to get to know them personally and without the pressure of the job. You’ll be amazed at what you will discover!

Total Wellness cares about and provides services to enhance your total wellness. To learn more about our services, click here. We looking forward to helping you be more WELL!*Human Moment – Dr. Edward Hallowell https://hbr.org/1999/01/the-human-moment-at-work